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Miami Heat forward LeBron James apologized for using the word "retarded" while speaking with the media Wednesday.

During an interview before the Heat played the Thunder, James was asked whether Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant improved his passing this season.

"That is retarded to me," James said. "Kevin Durant is great at being a passer."

Following the game, James expressed regret over his earlier word choice.

"I used the word retarded before," James said. "Obviously, it had nothing to do with kids that are underprivileged . There's no knock on them. It's a word that's been around for a long time where I grew. It's a bad habit, so I try to break it. If I use it again, I'm going to try to do my best not to. I mean no disrespect."

James made a similar comment three years ago in the playoffs, when he also apologized for saying a question was "retarded."

During Wednesday's game in Miami, James scored a game-high 34 points, but Durant scored 33 points and led the Thunder to a 112-95 win.